Bottle-crate.



W. W. BIRNSTOCK & C, W- VOGEL. BOTTLE cam.

APPLICATIDN- FILED NOV-14; IQIL v 1 259 348, Patented 11211.12, 1918;.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. W.- BI-RNSTO GK 64 C. WLVOGEL.

' eo'm's CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-- 4.4912.

Patented Mar. 12,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

animator wmvock wUgeZ WILLIAM W. BIBNSTOCK AND CHARLES W. VOG'EL, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO HENCH & DBOMGOLD COMPANY, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTLE-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent. t t 12, am,

Application filed November 14, 1917. Serial No. 202,047.

Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Crates,

- of which the following is a specification.

measure to prevent the Our invention relates to that class of bottle crates in which the bottom as well as the partitions into which the interior of the box is divided for receiving individual bottles are formed of wire, and it consists of certain improvements in the means for attachin the longitudinal wires to the ends of the box, and the cross wires to the sides of the box, and also in the means for uniting together, at the points where they cross each other, the longitudinal and transverse partition wires which form the grid for reception of individual bottles.

The improvements can best be explained and understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a crate embodying ourimprovements, one of the sides of the box being partly broken away,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same partly in elevation on line 2-2 Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectlon partly in elevation on line 33 Fig. 2,

Fig. l is a horizontal section partly 1n elevation on line H Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detached view of one of the hook and staple fastenings for securing the longitudinal wires to the ends of the crate, and

Fig. 6 is a detached view of one of the fastenings for securing the cross wires of the upper grid to the sides of the box.

Our crate A, has a wire bottom B, a wire upper grid C and also as a precautionary bottles from jostling or striking against one another when shaken about during transportation, a middle or intermediate grid D, between the top grid 0 and the bottom B.

staple fastenings, one of which is shown detached from the crate in Fig. 5.

There i one of'these hooks a on each end of each longitudinal wire of the bottom B as well as of both grids C and D and for each hook there is a staple like bar I), having ends 5 bent as the legs of a staple and a slight inward bend b in the bar 6 about midway between the legs, to form a seat for the hook when it engages the bar. There is in the end piece of the crate a horizontal slot 0 which extends clear through from the inside to the outside of said end piece and is of suflicient width to permit the passage of the hooked end a of the wire; and intersecting this slot at right angles is a vertical saw kerf or slot 05 extending from the outside part way only through said end piece, the width and length of this slot or kerf being suificient to admit the staple b snugly therein, and its depth being such that the staple, when introduced into and driven home in said slot, will be housed therein so that neither it nor that ortion of the hook which passes around it, W1llp10- ject beyond the outer face of the end piece of the crate. Each end piece of the crate is formed with a set of these intersecting slots 0, d, for the hooked end of each longitudinal wire it is to hold. In putting the crate together the hooked ends of the several longitudinal wires are inserted into and through their appropriate horizontal slots 0 so that the hooks shall project to the outside of the end pieces of the crate far enough not to interfere with the insertion of the staples into their appropriate slots; the stapled bars 6 are then inserted in their appropriate vertical slots 01 and may be. driven home therein, the legs 6 of the bars being driven into the end pieces of the crate and holding the staple bars 6 tightly in place. Then by spreading the end pieces of the crate apart, as for example by introduction of the'side pieces of the crate between the rabbeted ends of said end pieces, the hooks and staple bars of the bottom, and of the two grids to the ends of the crate, and is more particularly adapted for that use, is simple, strong, durable and easy and convenient of application.

The end pieces X of the crate are each made in one piece. The side pieces of the crate are each made, of two longitudinal pieces Y, fitted together so that in each side piece the lower longitudinal edge of the top portion Y, meets and rests upon the upperedge of the bottom portion y.

The top wire grid is located in the plane of the joint between the two pieces 3 which compose each side of the box. The cross or transverse grid Wires, have each a booklike formation (2 at each end, the legs of the hook being at some little distance apart from, but parallel with, one another. With the thus-formed ends are associated individualanchoring members, one for each end of each cross Wire, detachably engaging the ends of the cross wire, and adapted to enter vertical recesses or slots formed for their reception in the meeting edges of the two side pieces which compose each side of the box, and to thus anchor the wires in place. The anchoring member which may be of any suitable form and construction, in the present instance is represented as consisting of a disk or washer f, of any suitable shape, in this instance circular, provided with two eyes f by which it is threaded onto the two legs of the hook, which loosely ass through them, the anchoring washer y thus being held on the hook in a position at right angles thereto.

The hook is intended to lie between the meeting edges of the two parts y of the side piece, and for this purpose either or both of these meeting edges may be recessed properly to receive the hook so that it shall 7 lie flatwise in said recess. In the present instance the recess, lettered g, is formed in the top edge of the lower part of the side piece, extending from the inside partway through to the outside of the box as shown and of shape and dimensions to receive and house snugly the hook laid fiat-wise in it. In the'meeting edges of the two parts of the side piece are two matching vertical slots it, formed by a saw or other suitable means, at a point where they will meet and receive the two portions of the vertical disk f which extends above and below the hook e respectively.

There is a horizontal recess 9, and a pair of vertical slots h, for each hook e and-its associated washer f. And thus after the hooks at the o posite ends ofthe cross wires of the top gr1d have been laid flat in their respective recesses in the top edge of the lower side piece y, with the lower half of the vertical washers in the vertical slots '12,-

in the top edge of said lower'piece,'then by fitting the upper side iece 3 down upon the lower side piece, the ooks will be covered and concealed by the meeting edges of the two side pieces y, while the vertical slots. 7:; in the lower edge of .the upper one of said pieces will receive snugly the upper vertically projecting portion of the1r ap ropriate washers f, thus effectively 100 'ng the ends of the cross wires of the grid into the sides of the crate.

The detachable hook-connection between the ends of the cross wires and their anchoring members, permits of use of varying forms and weights of anchoring members with the. same wire, as well as varying gages of cross wires with the same anchoring members; and provided at all times and under all conditions an inexpensive efiective and easily appliedand adjusted device for the purposes indicated.

This style of fastening we use 1n practice only in connection with the top wire grid G. The middle grid 1), is not subjected to such. stress as the other, and requires no such style of side fastening. In this grid therefore it will be sufficient to let the straight ends of the cross wires intoflholes' angles to one another, to receive the wires.

They are laid between the wires which extend cross-wise of one another through their respective crimps in which they loosely lie, the point of intersection of the wires'being in the central opening in the annular washer,

and the wire above the washer, being passeddown at this point under the wire beneath,

and up again to its former position on the upper side of the washer; to facilitate this operation the two wires at their crossing point may have a slight bend, each bend being outwardly or in a direction awa from the other, as indicated at k. The gr d thus loosely assembled, is placed in a die of proper conformation and is there subjected to ressure which closes the crimps in the dis s or washers tightly around the wires and locks them immovably together at their crossing points. Thus a perfectly solid grid is produced without any solder or other like instrumentality. The washers or disks moreover project into and cover the corners of the squares formed by the crossing wires, and thus serve to close the holes or openings which after the placing of bottles in the grid would remain at those points, in this way serving to prevent the escape through the grid of ice which might be placed thereon around the bottles.

Having described our improvements, what we claim herein as new and of our own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A bottle crate, having end pieces formed with individual slots extending through from the inside to the outside of the end pieces, and recesses, one for each slot, formed in the external faces of the ends, and

extending at right angles to and intersecting said slots, longitudinal wires which extend between said end pieces and are provided with hook ends adapted to extend into and through the slots 1n the opposite ends of the crate, andstaple bars adapted to fill the external recesses in the end pieces, the body of the bar extending cross-wise of the slot with which it is associated in posi-' tion to be engaged by the hook end of the wire, and the staple ends of said bar, at right angles to the body thereof, being driven tightly into the end pieces to hold the staple bar in place.

2. A bottle crate having side pieces with hooks loosely pass, the anchoring members being thus detachably held thereon in vertical position crosswise of the wires, and entering and engaging the vertical slots in the meeting edges of the side pieces.

- In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

- WILLIAM W. BIRNSTOCK.

CHARLES W. VOGEL. 

